January 2009

You heard it here first! Remember this name: “KIMA of Norway.” You aren’t likely to forget it when you see the fabulous styles of Lisa Gillespie Brandstrup. She is a Norwegian – London based fashion designer with a fabulous line of denim mixed with leather fashions. Her debut collection will hit stores in the U.S. in February!

This collection is for the girl who has a hold of of the world. She is a female with attitude and her own personal style. Natural in her ways and comfortable in her own skin. That is what makes her sexy. If you fit the bill, and also like saying your closet is filled with European designer clothes you will be happy to know that all of Brandstrup’s styles are fully produced in Veneto, Italy. The premier collection is a blend of high and low waisted looks and boast super fine, lightweight stretch denim that comes in an array of washes. The clothes are washable and made with English Sheepskin. The KIMA line ranges from $150.00 to $200.00

The line is currently sold in the ultra popular store- KOMA in Oslo, Norway and Extra Bold Shop in Luxembourg and will soon hit US boutiques and department stores.

An added note which is just too cute to not mention, is that KIMA is comes from the combination of Brandstrup’s parents’ names-Kim and Marit. Brandstrup says: ” Without them my denim aspirations would merely be a fantasy!”

Eva Longoria-Parker, star of Desperate Housewives, will be hosting “Lingerie Miami” at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens on February 7th. “Lingerie Miami” is a fundraising event that benefits global microfinance organizations who help women that earn less that $1 a day. This organization will assist women with attaining small start-up loans so they can start their own businesses. Parker states, “It is very inspiring to be a part of a movement that empowers women to transform their own lives.”

To attend this inspiring benefit/event that will also feature the world’s most luxurious lingerie labels. click here.

A nice story for a change. George, a 20 pound and 140-year-old lobster once destined for a dinner plate received the gift of life Friday from City Crab and Seafood (a Park Avenue seafood restaurantn New York City.)

“We applaud the folks at City Crab and Seafood for their compassionate decision to allow this noble old-timer to live out his days in freedom and peace,” said Ingrid E. Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

PETA spokesman Michael McGraw said the group asked City Crab to return George to the Atlantic Ocean after a diner saw him at the restaurant, where steamed Maine lobster sells for $27 per pound. George had been caught off Newfoundland, Canada and lived in the tank for about 10 days before his release.

Some scientists estimate lobsters can live to be more than 100 years old. PETA and the restaurant guessed George’s age at about 140, using a rule of thumb based on the creature’s weight.

He is to be released Saturday near Kennebunkport, Maine, in an area where lobster trapping is forbidden.

That is really cool! A big thumbs up to the restaurant for recognizing this lobster should finish out his time in nature!

Comfortable. Usually cotton. Roomy. How many people out there have a Hawaiian shirt hanging in your closet right now. Chances are … quite a few. Today, the colorful shirts are a staple of most people’s closet. Aloha shirts are colorful, they are the first hint of spring and summer and they go with jeans, skirts, shorts, etc. More importantly, you can pretty much wear them anywhere. So, say “thank you” to Alfred Shaheen the man who made the Aloha Shirt popular and revolutionized the garment industry in postwar Hawaii, who died Dec. 22 from complications due to diabetes.

Quite a feat if you think about it. After World War II, servicemen and women returning to the States from Asia and the Pacific Islands brought along the aloha shirts (that had been made in Hawaii since the 1930s.) Soon. the tropical-print shirts andsundresses became a standard and at times a “tacky” souvenir for travelers. By the 50’s Tourists had begun flocking to Hawaii as faster airplanes allowed for easier travel and the former U.S. territory became a state in 1959. Although Shaheen did not “create the Hawaiian shirt, according to the LA Times, it was Shaheen who took the brand around the world by raising the garments to the level of high fashion with artistic prints, high-grade materials and quality construction.

The history of the Hawaiian or “Aloha Shirt” can be traced to the early western missionaries in the 19th century. They felt that it would be more appropriate, for the soon to be christianized natives, if they were covered. But the real fact is, that it wasn’t until the mid 1930’s that the Hawaiian shirt, as we know it today, started to be
produced.

Hawaiian shirt is suitable for almost all social occasions. White ones are available for the Hawaiian or beach themed wedding, for instance, and even for shaking a martini. So raise a glass in memory of Alfred Shaheen … he helped dress us all.